Mainly dry and unseasonably mild for Christmas Day
More organized rain chances are on the way to close out the year
It was a damp and dreary Christmas Eve across Central and Eastern Kentucky as a weak frontal boundary brought a few scattered showers to the area. While the majority of the rain fell during the morning hours, clouds hung around for the better part of the day, holding temperatures into the mid-40s for afternoon highs, which is right on par for average the day before Christmas.
Heading into Christmas Day we should see a mainly dry day as much of the moisture associated with a weak wave of energy stays to our west. Despite the lack of rain, the stubborn clouds should win the day so sunshine may be at a premium although we could see a few peeks from time to time down south. Temperatures will climb into the low 50s in most spots so it will be a bit mild for the Christmas holiday and with temperatures well above freezing, we’ll have to wait until next year for a chance at a white Christmas.
The weather should cooperate for folks hitting the malls and stores to exchange and return holiday gifts on Thursday as we catch enough dry air from high pressure to our northeast to keep things dry and pleasant. We may end up seeing a little more sunshine than expected, which will help push afternoon highs into the mid-50s so it should be a pleasant day overall. Our active weather pattern should kick back in on Friday as a wave of low pressure slides in from the west so our rain chances will ramp up significantly as we close out the week.
You’ll need the rain gear from time to time this weekend as a slow moving frontal system crawls through the Ohio Valley. With plenty of moisture streaming up from the Gulf of Mexico, more widespread and organized rain showers are on the table for both Saturday and Sunday. While it may not rain all day both days this weekend it should be fairly wet across the commonwealth. The unseasonably mild temperatures will stick around with afternoon highs pushing into the upper 50s to around 60 degrees. After a brief break on Monday with some dry weather returning and highs in the mid-50s, yet another storm system could bring more showers to the region for the final day of 2024.
ABC 36 HOUR FORECAST
CHRISTMAS EVE NIGHT: Mostly cloudy and chilly. Lows in the upper-30s.
CHRISTMAS DAY: Scattered clouds, showers north and west. Highs in the low-50s.
CHRISTMAS NIGHT: A few clouds and cool. Lows in the upper-30s and low-40s.
